Home is a Place in Your Heart
by authorjazmyne
Summary: Four part continuation to 'Her Weakness' without all the angst. Brenda wants a second chance with Sharon. Rated M mostly for the last part.
1. There's Still Hope

Sequel to 'Her Weakness' requested by Frakkingblerg (There's another two Goldfish sections that I threw in for you, but it's only a mention of them.)

Inspired by 'Come Home' by OneRepublic

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

–

**There's Still Hope**

Brenda signs her name across the black line, getting rid of her last connection to Fritz. She sighs, putting the pen down and looking into his sad eyes. They both knew it was going to happen, but she can see that he wishes it hadn't come to this. It was time for Brenda to grow up and growing up meant getting rid of all her baggage so she could have the life she really wants. And the life she really wants doesn't include Fritz. Now all she needs to do is make Sharon see that there's nothing holding them back. Well, nothing other than this woman Sharon's trying to replace her with, but Brenda's sure this woman isn't the one Sharon really wants.

Brenda says her goodbyes, gathering her things together and leaving the lawyer's office without even turning back to look at Fritz. She feels free now, like nothing can stop her from what she wants. She smiles to herself when the hot summer air meets her and the sun shines into her eyes. She has a wedding to get to, one that she's still a little nervous about attending. It's Sharon's daughter's wedding, Morghan, but she's not sure if Sharon's aware that she'll be there. Brenda wasn't even sure that Morghan still wanted her to be there, but the woman called her a few weeks ago to confirm that she was still going. Brenda also found out that Sharon and this woman she had yet to meet were having relationship problems, and Morghan, co-captain of the 'Get Sharon and Brenda back together club', informed her that the reason they were having problems was because Sharon was still hung up on her and Anastasia knew. So Brenda knew at that moment that she would be going to the wedding.

Brenda went shopping for the perfect dress. The dress had to be appropriate, but still show off all the parts of her body that she knew Sharon loved – well to some extent, of course. It took her going to five boutiques, three department stores, and triple the amount of stores online before she settled on one dress. The dress, which is a tad shorter than she expected, fits her body like a second skin. The Victorian lace dress comes to the middle of her thighs, the body-con silhouette accentuating her lithe form and her slight curves. It has a deep V-neck and three-quarter sleeves. The layered sheer bodice leaves her back exposed through the sheer lace. She wasn't sure what shoes to pair with the dress, wanting to look her best, and admitting to herself that sometimes she didn't always make the best choices when it came to pairing her clothes together. She wanted to wear the nude pumps that Sharon had bought her for her birthday the year before, but decided that she wanted everything to be new. This was the beginning of a new life for herself. Knowing how much Sharon liked when she decided to wear high heels, she purchased a pair of Valentino lace peep-toe pumps with a five-inch heel.

Once Brenda's hair is done with her volumized up-do, blonde curls framing her face on either side, she's ready to go. She decides not to risk getting lost and takes a cab over to the Saddlerock Ranch and Vineyards, which is where the wedding is being held. The entire ride there her stomach is in knots, her palms sweating, and she feels like a teenager on her first date. It's actually the way she felt when she and Sharon had their first date, and their second. Honestly, Brenda always gets this feeling when Sharon is involved. Her heart flutters and she can't stop herself from smiling. It's because she's madly in love with her, always will be, and it's been like this ever since she found out the kind of woman Sharon Raydor is. The caring, strong-willed, loyal to a fault, protective woman swept her off her feet before she could stop it from happening, but now she's glad she didn't stop it.

Brenda stays in the back row during the wedding, her sunglasses on the entire time. The scenery is beautiful, trees and rocks alike. The wedding in a whole is beautiful. Morghan looks gorgeous in her wedding dress, her red hair getting darker, looking more and more like Sharon's. Brenda smiles at the bride as she walks back down the aisle with her new husband Tom, and the younger woman smiles back quickly. The newly married couple follow the path until they disappear behind a set of trees. Conversation starts between the guests as they get up, making their way to the area that the outdoor reception is being held. Brenda sees Sharon talking to her other daughter, but she decides to lay low for a while, deciding to wait.

* * *

Sharon sits down next to Anastasia and passes her one of the two glasses of champagne that she went and got for them. She's been avoiding the blonde woman, talking to everyone else, not wanting to get in another fight with her girlfriend. Anastasia has no real interest in getting to know anyone at the wedding, which Sharon finds annoying. If she knew the blonde was going to sit around and brood, then she wouldn't have invited her to come along with her. Sharon sips some of her champagne from the flute and her eyes meet a pair of familiar brown eyes. She almost chokes on the champagne, coughing as she puts the flute back down on the table.

"Are you okay?" Anastasia asks, concerned. Sharon nods, reaching for the napkin because she can feel a drop of champagne on her chin. "Here, let me," Anastasia says, using the pad of her thumb to wipe it. Sharon flinches at the contact, her eyes moving away from Brenda's and to Anastasia's. "What? I can't touch you now?"

"No, I'm sorry." Sharon crosses her legs, still using the napkin to wipe her chin. Her heart is pounding in her chest and she's sure she's flushed from the neck up. Sharon turns back to where she saw Brenda, but notices the woman is up and walking towards her. "I'll be right back," she says to Anastasia, trying to excuse herself.

"You just sat down. I know it's your daughter's wedding, but you could at least sit down and talk to me for a little while," whines the younger woman.

"Ana, I just want to..."

"No, Sharon. Just give me a few minutes of your time."

Brenda clears her throat as she approaches Sharon and who she's assuming is Anastasia. She puts a hand on Sharon's bare shoulder and has to fight back the urge not to take Anastasia's hand from Sharon's thigh. "Hey Sharon," Brenda greets softly, removing her sunglasses.

Sharon licks her upper lip, trying not to focus on the blonde's hand on her shoulder. "Chief, I didn't expect to see you here," she says, willing her eyes to stay on the other woman's eyes.

Brenda ignores the way Sharon uses her rank, turning her head to give the other blonde woman a once over. Brenda recognizes the slight similarities and smirks softly, turning her head back to Sharon. "MJ said she wouldn't take no for an answer," she explains and Sharon nods her head. "So, are you gonna introduce me to your _friend_?"

"Girlfriend," Anastasia corrects, rolling her eyes and crossing her long legs.

Sharon glares at Anastasia. "This is Anastasia," Sharon tells Brenda, but she already knows the blonde knows that.

"Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson," Brenda tells Anastasia and sees the look of awareness cross her eyes. _Good. She knows who I am. _"It's nice to meet you," she says with faux cheeriness.

"Brenda?" Anastasia asks Sharon, ignoring the other blonde. "_The_ Brenda?"

"I guess you've heard about me," Brenda says. "It's nice to put a face to the name, ain't it?"

Sharon clears her throat, standing up, her arms folded. "Chief, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"No," Anastasia answers. "You can't go somewhere with her to talk. If you want to talk to her, then do it here," she tells her girlfriend.

"Excuse me?" Both Sharon and Brenda splutter. Sharon eyes the woman. "I wasn't asking you, and I don't need your permission, Ana," she says coldly, her patience running thin with this woman. She turns to Brenda.

"Sure," Brenda finally answers, looking at Anastasia, wondering what Sharon could possibly be doing with a woman who tries to tell her what she can and cannot do. Brenda starts walking away and after a second or two Sharon's beside her, arms folded as she walks with her.

"What are you doing here?" Sharon finally asks as they step away from the loud guests.

"I told you, MJ..."

Sharon shakes her head, her luxurious locks of hair shaking. "I don't want to hear what Morghan said. Didn't you think it would be a little awkward having you here?"

Brenda looks down towards the ground, her eyes focused on Sharon's legs, which look extra long due to the Manolo Blahniks on her feet. "I wanted to see you," she tells her honestly. "But I really did want to come to the wedding. MJ and I were very close in case you forgot."

"No, I know. You should have warned me that you were going to be here, though." Sharon's eyes are raking over every inch of Brenda's body. She's trying not to, but the blonde's body is one meant to be taking in. "You look beautiful," she husks before she realizes she's saying it aloud.

Brenda blushes, looking up into Sharon's green eyes. "So do you," she tells her sweetly. Sharon's wearing a teal dress that looks great on her body. Her eyes seem to stand out more with the color on her. "I would have told you I was comin', but I was afraid you would have told me you didn't want me to."

"I would never tell you that you couldn't come. I know that Morghan appreciates that you're here," she tells her, looking behind her, looking at Anastasia, who is looking at them from the table. "She misses you," Sharon says as she turns her head back around. "So does Meghan."

"I miss them as well. Morghan and I sat up a date for lunch once she comes back from the honeymoon and gets settled in. She'll probably bring Meghan along." She looks up at Sharon with a hopeful look in her sparkling eyes. "Maybe you'll come as well, and it could be like old times."

Sharon smiles sadly, remembering the Saturday lunches they used to have with her daughters. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"You could bring her along as well," she says, smiling in the direction of the woman they left at the table. "Though, it wouldn't be the same if she came."

"I'll consider going," Sharon tells her, tucking auburn hair behind her ear. "But I wouldn't bring her with me. The twins don't like her. They say she's not right for me."

"She's not," Brenda says under her breath. "By the way, you definitely downgraded," Brenda says lightly, wanting to see Sharon smile.

Sharon laughs softly. Sharon takes in Brenda's body again, licking her lips. "You're a tough act to follow," she husks.

Brenda blushes again, finding herself wanting to reach forward and touch Sharon, but she won't. Not because she thinks Sharon will pull away, but because she knows that Anastasia is watching and she doesn't want to do anything that might seem like they're doing more than talking. "Your girlfriend is watchin' us," Brenda tells Sharon.

Sharon doesn't turn around. "She's a bit..."

"Possessive," Brenda finishes. Sharon doesn't respond. "If your daughters tell you someone isn't right, then maybe they're seein' somethin' you aren't. I know you; and I know how you are, so I don't see why you would even be with a woman like that."

Sharon shrugs her shoulders. "Things with her are easy. Well, they were. I don't expect you to understand, though." Sharon takes a step backwards. "I think I should get back to Ana."

Brenda pouts, nodding her head. "I'll see you later, Shar." Sharon nods and then turns and leaves, aware that Brenda is watching her walk away.

* * *

There is the sound of silverware hitting glass and then Brenda turns her head, seeing Morghan and Tom share a kiss. Everyone lifts their drinks, smiling and clapping. Shortly after comes their first dance, which Brenda watches with a smile on her face. Every now and then she turns her head to look at Sharon, watching her as she smiles, watching her daughter dance with her new husband. Sharon's eyes are sparkling, one of those rare wide smiles adorning her beautiful features. The dance ends and then the newly wed couple is joined on the dance floor with others. Brenda finishes her drink and then goes over to where Meghan is sitting with a few other women.

"Brenda," the woman greets with a wide smile, throwing her arms around the smaller woman. "I was wondering if you planned on coming over here to say hi." She sways Brenda slightly as she hugs.

Brenda smiles. "Well, I was talkin' to your mama and then your sister started dancin', and you know..." She pulls back and tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Sit with me," says Meghan, waving her hand to the empty seat. Brenda sits down, crossing her legs and Meghan looks her over. "Dressing up for someone?" Meghan smirks that all-too-familiar smirk and leans back in her seat, her tanned legs knocking against Brenda's playfully.

Brenda smiles. "Hush. I just thought I'd look my best."

"And I bet Mom appreciates the gesture," she says as she looks at her mother. "Not to mention," she starts, turning back to Brenda, "I saw that look the other woman gave you. Total jealousy."

Brenda leans forward, her head cradled on her hand as her elbow rests on the table. "Really?"

Meghan rolls her eyes playfully. "Don't try to act modest now. You know you look damn good. That woman is at least ten years your junior and you could still out do her."

"You're too much," Brenda says, laughing softly.

Meghan shrugs, catching one of the servers attention and taking two glasses of champagne. She places one in front of Brenda and brings the other to her lips and then puts the flute down. "I hear MJ told you about the fights they've been having." Brenda nods. "Did she tell you what that gold digging bitch did?"

"Gold diggin'?" Brenda repeats, the term unfamiliar to her, but she thinks she gets the point.

Meghan nods, sipping the champagne again. "Mom asked her to take a check down to Jim for her," she starts.

"The guy who handles her finances and...?"

"Yeah, him. So, Mom didn't really tell us everything. I think she's a little ashamed that this even happened. The check was for one of those charities that give money to underprivileged kids that are interested in dancing. You know how passionate she is about that." Brenda nods, sipping her champagne. "Well, Anastasia looked at the check and told my mother she couldn't give that much to them."

"What?" Brenda asks in disbelief. "Who does that woman think she is tellin' Sharon what she can do with her own money."

"Exactly." Meghan shakes her head. "All the woman does is shop and sit on her lazy ass. I don't think my mother is supporting her habit – God, if I find out she is! – but this woman is starting to try to control my mother. And we both know that something has to be wrong with my mom if she's actually letting her."

"Who y'all dishing?"

Brenda jumps slightly, turning to Morghan. "MJ, congratulations." She gets up, hugging the new bride. "You look so beautiful in your weddin' gown."

"Thanks, dear. Glad you could make it," Morghan says. "Really, who are you guys talking about? I could see Meg's gossip face all the way from the dance floor."

"Sit," Meghan says, getting up and letting her have the seat. She gets another, sitting it beside Brenda's.

"So?"

"Just filling her in on Anastasia."

Morghan sighs exasperatedly. "You have got to do something," she tells the woman who has become like a second mother to her, but more like a best friend. "That woman is destroying our mother."

"I think it's me that's responsible for that. If I had-"

"Not another word about that. It has been a year and it's about time we leave that stuff in the past where it belongs. We all make mistakes every now and then, and you just happen to make them at the worst times."

"How exactly is what you're saying helpful, MJ?" Meghan rolls her eyes, turning to Brenda. "Mom's in love with you, blindly and unconditionally in love with you. We all know it, especially that woman she found to replace you."

"Which, if you ask me, was a horrible thing for Mom to try to do." Morghan slips her heels off, sighing. She makes a mental note to ask Tom to bring her her flats once he comes to find her. "But seriously, Bren, we need to talk game plans."

Brenda smiles, shaking her head in disbelief with both the twins. "Your mother is a grown woman; I think she knows what she wants."

"We all _know_ what she wants. She just doesn't think she can have what she wants. Have you even told her about Fritz? Today was the last meeting with the lawyer, right?"

"Yeah, it's finally over for good." Brenda sighs as she recrosses her legs, her lace pump sliding on and off her foot. "I haven't told her yet, but I'm not even sure if she'd care. I know she misses me. She's told me, but she also told me she's tryin' to move on."

"Trying," Morghan points out. "You should hear how she was going on about you the other day."

"She wouldn't shut up about you," says the other twin, rolling her eyes and smiling.

Brenda turns her head to look at Sharon. After a few seconds Sharon turns as well, most likely being able to feel someone looking at her. Brenda smiles, nodding her head, gesturing for the woman to come over. Sharon shakes her head, but doesn't look away. "She won't even come over here," Brenda says, still looking at Sharon.

Meghan turns, looking at her mother. She waves her hand over, which does get Sharon to come over. "Okay, she's coming. Now what?" Meghan turns back to Brenda.

Brenda turns to Morghan. Morghan sighs. "Don't look at me."

"Really guys? Must I do everything on my own?!" Meghan gets up from the seat, leaving it empty and getting another one, putting it beside her twin and sitting down in it.

Sharon notices the change in her daughter's seat and then looks at the empty one beside Brenda. She looks up at Brenda, who smiles one of those impossibly wide smiles at her. She takes a seat, crossing her legs towards Brenda, her foot almost touching Brenda's. She looks up at her daughters, who are both smiling at them. Sharon arches an eyebrow, already seeing them working up some plan together without saying a single word. Sharon sighs, already seeing where this is going. Her daughters have been trying to get her to talk to Brenda for the longest. They made it very clear that they didn't like her current girlfriend and that they thought she should work things out with Brenda. Even after a year they thought there was hope, but honestly she knows there is.

"Okay, you have me here, which was obviously important to all of you. What exactly do you three want me for?"

"We need to talk," Meghan says.

"Talk?" Sharon asks with a perfect eyebrow arched as she eyes both her daughters and then the blonde beside her.

"Yes. We need to talk about you and Brenda," Morghan clarifies.

"This is your wedding day," she says to Morghan. "I think you should just enjoy the day and let me worry about my relationships on my own," Sharon says and then tries to get up, but Brenda puts her hand on her thigh. Sharon, not wanting to move away from Brenda's warm hand, stays where she is.

"Mom, we can't say enough times what we think, and you already know, but there's more to this than that. Brenda," she turns to Brenda.

Brenda looks up at Morghan, who gives her a hand gesture, telling her to go on. Brenda turns to Sharon. "Sharon," she starts and then looks away. She can't do this. She's always letting these two try to convince her into doing something, but she can't, well not like this. "You want to dance?" Brenda blurts out.

"Uh." Sharon looks over to Anastasia, who she had just been arguing with. "Okay," Sharon says after a long pause, figuring that it would be nice to be around someone who wasn't constantly trying to pick a fight.

The twins share a quick look, smiling at each other and then at their mom and Brenda. Brenda gets up, taking Sharon's hand and they go to the dance floor. Meghan gets up. "I'm going to make sure the photographer gets pictures of this," she tells her sister.

"And go get the band to play..."

"I know already. I'm the one that had to remind you to make sure they had that song ready," Meghan says to her sister, rolling her eyes.

"And tell Tom to bring me my shoes," she calls after her sister, who nods, making her way to the band.

The sun is starting to set behind the trees, the warm colors filling the sky. Sharon and Brenda are dancing together, neither of them saying anything yet. Brenda can smell that sandalwood scent on Sharon that never fails to make her head swim a little. Brenda smells like honeysuckle, a smell that Sharon has missed a lot. They keep a reasonable amount of space between them, Brenda not wanting to pass any boundaries she's sure the woman wants to have in their relationship. Soon the song changes, changes to a song they both know far too well.

Brenda lets out a shaky breath, hearing the song, feeling it bring back so many memories. "This was our song," Brenda says softly.

"You're telling me like I need a reminder," Sharon responds. _Feet Don't Touch The Ground_ is played at least one time before she goes to bed each night. Sharon pulls Brenda closer to her, her hands moving from her hips, her arms wrapping around Brenda's lithe body, and her hands on the small of her back.

Brenda sighs when she feels Sharon's body against her fully. She rests her chin against Sharon's shoulder, her head tilted towards her neck, her breath falling against Sharon, and her nose trying to remember the scent of her hair. "I miss this," Brenda whispers, her eyes closing. Sharon simply hums her response, slowly dancing with her. "Bein' in your arms always makes me feel like I'm the only person that matters to you."

_You are_, Sharon thinks. Sharon closes her eyes, letting out a cleansing breath. One of Brenda's fingers is tracing circles over her shoulder blade. She knows she should stop her because she knows Brenda's doing it on purpose, but for a moment she wants to forget the rest of the world and what happened, and just feel Brenda again.

"Sharon are you happy?" Brenda asks softly.

"Yes," she answers too quickly.

Brenda tries to pull back, but Sharon holds her to her tighter. "Honestly?"

"Honey, you were always able to read me better than anyone else. Do you think I'm happy?"

"No," she answers. "I think you're happy at the moment, though. I think you're happy here with me."

"For the moment," she responds.

"You deserve to always be happy," she whispers.

Sharon opens her eyes, looking over to Anastasia, who looks red in the face. Sharon can't bring herself to really care. "I'm working on that," she responds after a pause.

"With Anastasia?" She can feel Sharon nod and hum her response. "She's not what's going to make you happy. You're lookin' for your happiness in the wrong place."

"I guess you're going to tell me that I should be looking for it with you," Sharon says, closing her eyes again, blocking out the view of the rest of the world.

"No," she responds simply.

"No?"

"No, look for your happiness in your heart. Follow what your heart wants, whether it's me or not."

"You already know it's you, though," Sharon breathes.

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I made a commitment to Ana," she tells her. "You also left me to be with someone else. Either you don't follow your own advice, or I'm not the key to your happiness. Whichever it might be, it wouldn't be a good decision to leave a relationship that has some type of hope to be with someone who doesn't return the same feelings I have for them. And, what about your husband?"

Brenda sighs. "We're finally divorced," she tells her, knowing that at another time they'll have to talk about that. "And don't you ever think I don't feel the same way as you because I do. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else, and you know it's true. You might not want to believe me, but I love you, Sharon."

"I know you do," she says, barely audible.

Brenda can feel Sharon's heart racing against hers and she pulls her closer to her. "I always will," Brenda whispers, pressing her lips to Sharon's shoulder quickly.

Sharon melts against Brenda. How long had it been since she felt those lips against her skin? She can't even remember. Brenda does it again and Sharon feels a rush of heat move through her body, a pleasant ache racking through her entire being. "Brenda," she breathes quickly.

Brenda can feel the way Sharon's body heats against her, her hands subconsciously pulling Brenda close, and Brenda can feel her heart picking up its rate again. The blonde smiles, knowing she still has the same effect on her body, perhaps she's even more responsive now. She slides her lips against her skin one last time, not caring who sees, but the one person she does want to see is on the wrong side of her body so she can't. Sharon lets out a sound somewhere between a moan and a whimper, and Brenda can't help it when she presses a kiss to her neck, her lips having a mind of their own, responding to the desire she's been feeling for so long.

Sharon's finding it hard to breathe. She can't pull away from Brenda, not now. She's dreamt of Brenda's lips on her skin, feeling them one last time, and somewhere in the back of her mind she's telling herself that it justifies this. If it's the last time, which it is, then she's allowed to savor the moment. She knows that she's going to have to pull away soon, though. The song's almost over, she knows Anastasia is probably pissed with her for dancing with the woman who's causing problems in their relationship, and she's sure that soon her legs are going to be too weak to stand.

Brenda rests her head on Sharon's shoulder, breathing against her now-wet skin. She can feel her shivering slightly. "Are you cold?"

"No," Sharon answers in a husky breath.

"You're shiverin'," Brenda tells her.

"I know," Sharon says simply. Brenda kisses her neck again. "Please stop," she whispers, the words coming out like a moan.

Brenda smirks, pushing her hips harder against Sharon's. "You're turned on," she states.

Sharon doesn't respond at first, just dancing to the new song that's playing. She slides her hands up Brenda's back, feeling delicate lace under her fingers. "It's been a long time," she finally says.

"Since?" Brenda asks, not wanting to misunderstand what Sharon's saying.

Sharon turns her head into Brenda, so only she can hear what she's saying. "Since you've touched me, for starters … Since I've had sex," she admits in a whisper. She can feel Brenda's breath come a little quicker. "Since I've been so painfully aroused," she husks.

"What about with Anastasia?" Brenda finally asks softly.

Sharon lets out a sad breath. "We haven't had sex in almost a month," she admits easily.

Brenda laughs, not a comical laugh, but a nervous one. She knows Sharon. Sharon's sexual appetite is ridiculously high for any woman of any age. "A month?" Brenda kisses against her skin again. "How does Sharon Raydor go a month without sex? She must be an idiot to even let you go that long without sex. I can barely keep my hands off you now, and she gets to sleep in your bed, and be around you in private, and she doesn't at least try."

"Brenda," Sharon whispers softly. Brenda hums her response. "I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Dance with me?"

"No, no, not this. I can't-"

Brenda pulls away a little from Sharon, urging the woman to look at her. She can see the sadness in Sharon's green eyes and it nearly kills her. "What can't you do?" Brenda asks in a soft voice.

"I can't keep pretending with Anastasia. The girls are right about her. She's not the right person for me. But you're the only person that's ever felt right." The last part comes out in one tired breath.

Brenda smiles, bringing her hand to Sharon's face, not caring what Anastasia thinks. "I love you, Sharon. I'm always going to love you. When you can trust me again, then I'm right here waitin' for you," she whispers. "You just have to trust me and trust your heart, baby."

Sharon nods, clearing her throat, pushing away all the emotions she feels rising to the top. "For now I just want you to hold me for a little bit longer," Sharon tells her softly.

"For as long as you want," Brenda whispers, pulling Sharon back, this time her arms tighter around her. Brenda sighs, feeling Sharon melt against her.

"There's still hope," Sharon whispers into her ear.

"I know," Brenda responds because she knows there is always going to be hope. "I'm never going to stop fightin' for your love. And, like I said, I'm right here when you're ready."

"There's still hope," she repeats, this time more to herself. She presses her lips to Brenda's ear, kissing there quickly.

TBC


	2. Worth the Wait

**Worth the Wait**

Sharon groans, sitting down at her desk, waking her computer up so she can get on with her work and get home. She's exhausted, no, that's an understatement to how she feels. Sharon feels like she's been run over by an 18 wheeler. Twice. As if working with Major Crimes wasn't hard enough on her, today Brenda just wouldn't stop looking at her. Brenda has this way of looking into Sharon's eyes and making the older woman feel like she can see right through her. Sharon wishes that things between them weren't so hard. It's not like things haven't gotten better between them. They've decided they would work on a friendship, which Sharon knows isn't going to last long, but she's not ready for more than that.

Things between her and Anastasia finally fell apart, a mere two weeks after the wedding, and she couldn't even feel bad about that. She just couldn't keep lying to the woman. She knew Anastasia wasn't the woman she wanted, and she assumes that Anastasia could tell, at least once the end neared. Brenda is the only woman she'll ever want, and every time she has to work with Brenda she's reminded that painful truth. Today was not an exception to that. All day long she found it incredibly hard to concentrate, which was never a problem for her when they were dating. But now that she's single again, Brenda's single again, and they've admitted what they want, it's hard for Sharon not to think distracting thoughts when she should really be focusing on helping Brenda close the case they are working on together.

The knock on her door makes Sharon jump slightly, not expecting anyone at this late hour. "Come in," she says tiredly, sitting up in her seat.

Brenda opens the door slightly, peeking her head through, watching as Sharon sighs, turning away from the door. "Can I come in?"

"I already said come in," Sharon says, leaning back in her seat, looking at her computer screen.

"Well, that was before you knew it was me," Brenda responds, walking into the room. Brenda closes the heavy wood door behind her and then leans against it. "I just wanted to see if you were feelin' any better."

"I'm still sitting at this desk. I haven't had dinner. I have the worst headache I've ever had." Sharon shakes her head, sighing. "No. I am not feeling better."

Brenda walks over to Sharon's desk, leaning against the desk, seeing Sharon flinch slightly. "Let me take you out to dinner."

Sharon looks up at Brenda. "I can't go out to dinner with you." Brenda leans forward, her hand moving to Sharon's face. "Brenda," Sharon breathes shakily, Brenda's hand on her cheek. She misses this, but it's too soon.

"You said we would try to make this work." Brenda says to her, looking into Sharon's shimmering eyes. She can see that Sharon's not necessarily against the contact. There's a look in her eyes that lets Brenda know Sharon likes it.

"A friendship, yes." She takes Brenda's hand from her cheek, holding it in her hand. "We can hardly be friends if you continue to cross these boundaries."

Brenda closes her eyes for a moment, trying to gather enough courage to say what she's feeling. "Sharon, why can't we stop pretendin' already? I know what you want, and you know what I want. Why can't we move forward already?" The past three weeks after the wedding have been three of the hardest of her life. She knows where this is leading, at least where she wants it to, but Sharon's holding back. She finds herself constantly wanting to just push Sharon against the wall and kiss her, tell her that it's okay for her to be happy. But she doesn't.

"You hurt me," Sharon whispers. "How do you expect me to just act like that never happened? How do I know you won't do it again? I can't keep risking my heart like this, Brenda." Sharon's never so painfully honest with anyone else. It's always been hard for her to express her feelings, especially when she's admitting some type of weakness. But with Brenda she can lay it all out because she knows that even though Brenda hurt her, she's the only other person that truly understands her and won't judge her.

"I'm sorry," Brenda whispers, sounding weak. "I can't apologize enough times. I messed up. I messed up and I know that it hurt you, and I know I said I'd never hurt you, but I'm gonna try to make sure it never happens again."

Sharon stands up, her body almost touching Brenda's. "I need more time." Brenda nods her head, not looking at her. Sharon lifts Brenda's head by her chin, making her look at her. "This isn't a no," she explains. "I just need time."

Brenda licks her lips, nodding her head. "Okay," she whispers. "Oh," she says, remembering why she really came here. "I brought you somethin'." Brenda turns to her bag and rummages through it until her hand finds the paper bag. She smiles bringing the bag of Goldfish into Sharon's view.

"Goldfish?" Sharon arches an eyebrow. "Pizza Goldfish."

"Well, yeah," she says sheepishly. "I remembered you liked to have them when you were stressed out. I could tell this day has been hard on you, and I wanted to make it better somehow."

Sharon smiles one of those rare smiles and leans forward on impulse, pressing her lips to Brenda's. Brenda's surprised by the kiss and makes a soft gasp, but kisses her back. Sharon, for the first time in the past year, can feel some of that happiness she missed coming back to her. She pulls back after a few seconds, looking into Brenda's happily surprised eyes.

"Well, if I knew all you needed was some Goldfish..."

Sharon cuts her off with a quick peck to her lips. "I don't know how you always seem to know how to make a bad day end on a good note." She lets out a shaky breath, putting a little distance between them, but Brenda doesn't let her move away fully.

"I'm not going to give up on tryin', you know that, right?" Brenda tells Sharon this often, making sure she remembers.

"I know. Keep giving me Goldfish and I can assure you, things will be looking much better for us," Sharon jokes with a bright smile.

Brenda smiles, turning to her bag. "I guess it's a good thing I got you two then," she says happily.

"God, I love you," Sharon whispers without meaning to, but it feels good to finally say it to her again.

"I know," Brenda breathes, knowing things will be okay, just not right away. But Sharon's worth the wait.

TBC


	3. Just Like Old Times

**Just Like Old Times**

Brenda's running late for Saturday lunch with the girls. She was closing up a case and Sharon called to inform her she was going to be coming as well. Brenda looked at the time, 11:30 am, and they were supposed to meeting at 12:30. She rushed home, showered and changed into a pair of jeans with crisp white button down shirt and her new favorite blazer. She decided on a pair of ballet flats with studs on the toes, keeping it simple, but still dressed up enough for the Italian restaurant they had their Saturday lunches. Now, 12:35, she's stuck in traffic, traffic that not even her sirens would really be able to get her out of. She sends Sharon a quick text, telling her that she's five minutes away, but stuck in traffic. Sharon replies within the next minute, which makes Brenda smile. Sharon tells her that the girls aren't there yet either, and that she got them a table. Brenda feels better knowing she's not the only one running late. Sharon is the only one out of them that was particularly good with managing time, so this wasn't something that hadn't happened in the past.

Brenda finally parks her car at 12:52. She checks her hair in the mirror and then grabs her big purse and keys, exiting the car. When she opens the door she's greeted with the delicious smell of good Italian food. She looks around the restaurant quickly, spotting Sharon and Meghan sitting at a table by the window. She smiles when she catches Meghan's hazel eyes and she makes her way to the table, leaning down to kiss Meghan on the cheek, stopping her from standing to greet her. She smiles at Sharon, leaning down to kiss her cheek as well, but Sharon softly kisses her lips instead, which makes the blonde softly blush. There's been a few of these kisses since that night in Sharon's office a week ago. They still surprise the blonde and make her heart flutter uncontrollably. She takes her seat next to Sharon, who is also wearing jeans, which Brenda loves on the woman. Sharon's also wearing a tie neck chiffon printed shirt with simple black heels. Brenda smiles at Sharon, turning to Meghan, who is wearing a white summer dress with brown detailing and brown sandals.

They wait another few minutes for Morghan, the three of them catching up as they wait. Morghan finally comes, rushing in, apologizing for being late as she greets them all separately. Morghan is wearing a black shirt dress and flats, her red hair up in a high ponytail. The women order their drinks and then their food, and then they talk about Morghan's honeymoon in Cancun. The whole time they're talking Sharon's hand is resting on Brenda's thigh, which does not go unnoticed by any of the other women. Nobody says anything at first and Brenda doesn't move away from the touch, welcoming the warmth of the woman's hand on her thigh. The food soon comes and it's not until then that Sharon's hand leaves Brenda's thigh since Brenda's to her right and she needs her right hand to eat. But Brenda's hand easily found Sharon's thigh, which the older woman smiles at, putting her left hand over Brenda's left hand, holding it against her thigh.

Meghan smiles, sipping her wine quickly and then putting the glass down. "I guess it's going to have to be me that brings this up since nobody else seems to want to." She crosses her legs, careful not to hit the glass table while doing so. "Why is that so shocking?!" Meghan shakes her head, her dyed strawberry blonde hair shaking on her shoulders. "What's going on with you two lovebirds lately? You're holding hands and you're sitting so close it's hard to tell where one body starts and the other ends." Sharon goes to speak, but Meghan cuts her off. "Not to mention the kissing."

"Kissing?" Morghan asks, eying her twin sister. "When?"

"Before you got here," she tells her simply, raising an eyebrow at her mother.

Sharon sighs, but smiles, looking down at Brenda's hand. "We're working on things slowly," she tells them, looking back up into two pairs of equally happily hazel eyes.

"Really?" Morghan squeals and her mother nods.

Brenda smiles widely, loving the glee in the twins' faces. You'd think they were two kids on Christmas morning, not two 27 year old women finding out their mother is trying to fix things with her ex-girlfriend.

"So how slow are we talking?" Meghan asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Well," Sharon says, not having an actual answer.

Brenda sits up in her seat, tilting her head slightly. "It's hard to say how long things will take. We're just going to let it all happen at its own pace; let it happen naturally."

"But you're definitely working to a relationship?" Morghan asks.

"Yes," they both answer, sounding very sure of it. They smile at each other, brown eyes and green eyes both lighting up a little.

"And you aren't seeing other people, right? Because that would..."

"MJ, they're not seeing other people. Look at them," she says, tilting her head, "they're in love. Brenda already knows what will happen to her if she even thinks about that man again. And Mom, well I already told you about what I'd do if I see another knock off Brenda."

Sharon rolls her eyes. "You guys don't have to worry about us. We've talked about this a lot lately.

"And we both know what we want, which is each other."

"And only each other," Sharon finishes, her hand slightly squeezing Brenda's.

"About freaking time," Megan mutters.

Morghan sighs happily, loving the way the green in her mother's eyes is brighter, the life coming back to her. Brenda also looks happier, her smile never leaving those wide lips of hers. Morghan hopes that her marriage can be filled with as much happiness as these two women have when they are together. Even through all their problems, which they've had a lot of, they always seemed happy once they were back around each other, whether they were in a relationship together or not.

"Well, we're happy for you two," Morghan says as she sips her wine and Meghan nods her head.

Sharon's phone rings, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen around the table. She lets go of Brenda's hand, reaching for her purse and getting her phone out. It's one of her detectives. "It's work," she informs them, excusing herself from the table.

Meghan watches her mother walk towards the door, most likely getting away from the music that's playing in the restaurant. She turns back to Brenda. "Have you told her about the dinner yet?"

Brenda shakes her head, looking at Sharon through the glass. "It's a surprise. I wanted to make sure things were going to work for us before I made any final decisions."

"What dinner?" Morghan asks, confused. "You two are always trying to keep me out of things."

"Well, you were off in Cancun on your honeymoon," Meghan reasons.

Morghan rolls her eyes. "I've been back for a month," she retorts.

"You're just moving to your new house and we wanted to give you some time to enjoy it."

Morghan opens her mouth to say something, but Brenda cuts her off. "After the wedding, I told Meghan that your mama thought that we still had a chance at making things work," she starts. "We talked about it for a while on the way back to my house, and then Meghan ended up stayin' over and we talked about your mama all night and this elaborate plan she thought up that would help me win your mama back."

"Of course, being the stubborn women she is, she didn't listen to a word I said."

Brenda smiles. "That's not the point. I suggested that I should just do things that make your mother remember why she fell in love with me in the beginnin'."

"Which I told her was a horrible idea," Meghan adds in.

"Because Mom fell in love with her during a time that Brenda was showing weakness," she states and her sister nods. "Not that that's a bad thing or anything," she says to Brenda.

"I know," she says softly. "So we came up with a better idea. I want to take Sharon out for the night, the entire night. We'll start off with dinner at the restaurant we had our first date, and we'll walk on the beach like we did our second, and then we'll go back to her place."

"I think you can stop there," Morghan says.

"No, there's more before she even gets there," Meghan says.

Brenda fights back a slight blush. "Sharon has a favorite movie that we used to watch," she tells them, mostly Morghan because Meghan already knows her plans. "I want to watch that movie with her, with her favorite snack..."

"Please don't tell me you're supporting her love for Goldfish," Morghan says, shaking her head in both disbelief that Brenda's going to eat Goldfish and that her mother still eats them.

"They're actually quite tasty. Not as good as chocolate, but they're good." Brenda sees Sharon coming back to the table and smiles up at her.

"Sorry about that," she says, sitting down. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing," they all answer a bit too quickly.

Sharon raises an eyebrow, not believing them.

Brenda smiles widely. "I think it's about time we wrap this up," she says, reaching for her wine glass.

"Ready to go already?" Sharon asks, not hiding the disappointment in her voice.

"Our Saturday is far from over," Brenda says.

"We have a movie to get to and then ice cream," Meghan says, looking for the waiter.

"It'll be just like old times," Morghan tells her mother.

Brenda turns to Sharon, smiling widely. "Just like old times," she repeats, briefly kissing Sharon's lips.

Sharon smiles against Brenda's lips. She's glad things are moving back to some type of normalcy, which ultimately means things will be just like they were before. Yes, just like old times.

TBC


	4. Coming Home

A/N: Sorry that the first paragraph is so long. I wanted to keep that all together.

**Coming Home**

Sharon's in a state of happiness that she may have never before reached. She knew Brenda had been planning a date for them for this weekend, but she wasn't aware that it was going to be the ultimate date for them. When they arrived at the restaurant the familiar red doors were the first thing she noticed. She and Brenda had their first kiss in front of those doors on the night of their first date. Earlier in the night they had dinner there, the exact same dishes they had years ago, which Sharon was surprised Brenda remembered. The restaurant, which was very important to them both, was the beginning of the date, but Sharon didn't know that it wouldn't be ending there like it did the first time. After an amazing dinner, they ended up at the beach close to Sharon's house, the two of them walking on the boardwalk, hand in hand, reminiscing all the times they'd done exactly what they were doing at the moment. After sharing many kisses and whispered words, they made their way back to Sharon's house. Sharon thought the night was over, well, the date part at least because she was going to ask Brenda to come in. But when Sharon unlocked her door and noticed the candles around the living room she was speechless. Brenda smiled at her and sent a silent prayer that the girls were able to get out of the house before they made it back. The night continued with wine and kisses for a while, but then Brenda told her that they were going to watch a movie. The movie turned out to be a movie they had over-watched during their relationship, and one Sharon hadn't seen in over a year because of that reason. They cuddled up in the living room, watching the movie as Brenda fed Sharon Goldfish – which was honestly one of her favorite parts of the night – and when the movie finally ended Brenda said that wasn't it. Sharon, who honestly was ready to give this woman her heart all over again, didn't know what else she could possibly have up her sleeve. Brenda disappeared into the back of the house, which Sharon soon figured out is where she was storing her things, and she came back out with a stuffed animal. At first, Sharon didn't recognize it, but then she remembered when she and Brenda went to New York and they visited Coney Island. Sharon had won it for the blonde after many attempts at one of those stupid carnival games. Sharon couldn't help smiling widely as she remembered the day and then realized the whole night was about her remembering the times when they were happiest. Now, Sharon lies on her bed with a still clothed Brenda, the two of them kissing passionately and she's never felt this amount of happiness before.

Brenda rolls them over so she's flat against Sharon's body. Sharon smiles up at her, her eyes crinkling adorably. Brenda hums happily as she kisses Sharon's forehead, which earns her one of those hums that Sharon makes that always sends a shiver down her spine. She kisses over each of her eyelids, which makes Sharon's heartbeat increase against her. She kisses the tip of the nose she loves so much, which makes Sharon crinkle it, giggling softly. Brenda's smile grows as she does it again, making Sharon's giggles increase. Brenda kisses one cheek and the other, looking into Sharon's eyes as she finally opens them back. Brenda presses her lips to Sharon's chin, making Sharon lick her lips. Finally, Brenda brings her lips to Sharon's, kissing them softly and quickly. Sharon hums, eliciting a soft moan to come from the blonde's throat.

Sharon brings her hand to Brenda's face, cradling it in her hand as she looks into her eyes. "I'm ready," she whispers sweetly.

"Ready?" Brenda repeats, confused.

Sharon nods, smiling, finding Brenda completely adorable when she has that confused look in her eyes. "I love you," Sharon whispers, pulling Brenda down to her. She kisses the blonde's lips softly. "I've never loved anyone else completely and unconditionally like I do with you. We can't make the past go away, but that doesn't mean I should continue to dwell on those past mistakes. You've often said that you think I'm your other half, and I know I always laugh at you for saying things like that, but I think I finally see it." Sharon sighs. "Honey, I'm only me when I'm with you and that's because you are also _my_other half. I need you to be complete."

"I've been waitin' so long to hear that," Brenda breathes, smiling softly.

Sharon brushes her lips against Brenda's soft lips and then hums in her throat. She feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She sighs into the kiss, letting Brenda open her mouth with her lips. It feels so good, the heat radiating from one body to the other, the connection between them that they have, and most importantly the love they share. Sharon slides her hands down Brenda's back, resting right above the swell of her ass. Brenda moans into her mouth and Sharon feels a rush of arousal move through her body. It's been too long since she's had sex – a little over two months. But she's not ready for that yet. She's sure of what she has with Brenda, sure of what they will always have, but it seems like they should wait until they cross that final line.

Brenda breaks the kiss, her lips moving down Sharon's jaw, causing the older woman to groan, head rolling back, neck exposing. Brenda happily moves her mouth to that sensitive spot on Sharon's neck, the one that never fails to make the older woman quiver uncontrollably. Brenda sucks the spot, her lips soft, but sure of themselves, knowing exactly what response she'll be getting. Brenda moans when she hears that deep guttural sound and she feels the woman's thighs against her own. Brenda misses this – the feeling of the other woman's body, being able to touch the other woman, having her under her own body, and being able to let her lips explore her body again. Brenda moves down Sharon's chest, hot kisses being placed on lightly freckled skin until she reaches the material of Sharon's dress. Brenda moves her dress to the side, her lips kissing the side of her breast.

"Honey," Sharon whispers, making Brenda look up at her. She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. "I think we should wait," she whispers.

Brenda doesn't say anything at first, looking at Sharon, but then she rolls off her body, lying on her back. "Wait?" Brenda asks, not sure how she can possibly wait when she's been waiting for more than a year.

Sharon keeps her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling quickly, willing her body to calm down. She can feel her nipples hardening against the fabric of her bra and she's wet, uncomfortably wet, but she still thinks that waiting is best, but she can hear in Brenda's voice that she doesn't want to wait. She finally sits up, leaning against the upholstered headboard, looking down at Brenda. "What's the rush?"

"Seriously?" Brenda asks, eyes big. "How 'bout the fact that it's been forever since we've had sex together?" Brenda groans, not upset, just really horny.

"You said I was worth the wait," Sharon reminds her, almost sounding sad.

Brenda rolls over onto her stomach, her head resting on Sharon's leg. "You are," she whispers.

"Then what's the problem?" Sharon shivers when she feels Brenda's lips starting to press kisses on her leg and she doesn't think she's ever felt so much pleasure simply from Brenda's lips on her leg. She closes her eyes, holding back a moan.

"See, you want me," Brenda points out in a purr, her tongue sliding up the length of Sharon's leg. Sharon shakes her head, unable to speak because the only thing that would come out of her mouth is a moan. Brenda pouts as she slides her hand up Sharon's leg, up her inner thigh, stopping where her dress is. "Let me take care of your needs, baby."

Sharon lets the moan out, knowing that it was useless trying to hold it in. "Brenda," she whispers weakly, her arousal trying to control her actions. "I want to do this right," she tells her, her voice not as strong as she'd like it to be. "And I think doing it right means waiting."

Brenda groans again, moving away from Sharon. "Fine," she huffs, her own arousal seeming to increase now that she knows her needs won't be taken care of by Sharon. "Can I at least stay the night?"

Sharon moves over to Brenda, draping her body over Brenda's. "You're always welcomed here, you know that." Brenda doesn't look at her, but she can tell Brenda's not really mad at her. She leans down and kisses the spot behind Brenda's ear. "Just because we aren't going to have sex yet, doesn't mean there aren't other things we can't do," she purrs.

Brenda moans. "Like?" Brenda asks in another moan.

"This," she whispers as she kisses behind her ear again. "This," she says, placing kisses across her jawline. "This," she goes on, nipping at Brenda's chin, hearing her moan again. "Of course we can do this," she husks, her tongue sliding across her jawline, making Brenda turn so she can reach her ear.

"No," Brenda whimpers as Sharon's tongue dips into her ear, but Sharon doesn't stop. "Oh God," she moans, melting into goo. Damn that woman and knowing exactly the right spots to turn her on. No, damn her for purposely doing it when she doesn't plan to put out the fire she's starting.

Sharon moans against her ear, her hot breath caressing it. "I can still whisper in your ear like you like," she whispers. "Tell you how hot this is making me," she goes on, unable to control the urge to be the tease Brenda always makes her. "I can tell you how wet I am right now and how I'm throbbing inside-"

"Please," Brenda moans, that woman's silky smooth voice, saying things to her that are making painfully arousing images in her mind is going to make her implode.

Sharon smirks, kissing her way to Brenda's open mouth. She sucks the woman's pouty bottom lip into her mouth, sucking it and letting her teeth graze it as they both let out soft moans. She licks her way into Brenda's already open mouth, letting her tongue tease every sensitive spot she's already discovered and explored many times before. She feels Brenda's hands gripping her back as she gives herself to her fully. Sharon kisses her breathless, making her moan into her mouth. Sharon pulls back, licking her lips.

"We can do lots of that, too," she purrs.

"But all of that makes me want to do so much more," Brenda breathes, her blood pumping through her body at record speed.

"That's what makes it so much more fun," she husks. She moves her head down so she can rest her head on Brenda's chest, feeling her heart race.

Brenda lets out a shaky breath. "You're such a tease," Brenda whines, but she smiles, running her fingers through Sharon's hair.

Sharon smiles. "But you still love me," she says cutely.

"With all my heart," she whispers.

"As do I," she tells her, turning her head and placing a kiss over the place where Brenda's heart lies.

Brenda sighs happily, smiling widely. It feels like she's finally coming home.

Sharon places another soft kiss in the same spot. Sharon feels like she's coming home too because her home is a place in Brenda's heart.

The End. (For Now)

There will be another story to follow this at some point with lots of M rated-ness.


End file.
